Due to the both the emergence of antibiotic resistance and more virulent pathogens, there is a growing need for new antibacterial agents for use in clinical settings. Antibiotic resistance occurs in both gram-positive and gram-negative pathogens and generally arises within a hospital setting but can then spread to the general community. Multi-drug resistant and pandrug resistant gram-negative bacteria including Acinetobacter baumanii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pose the threat of untreatable infections. Current figures show that the number of deaths caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is greater than that of HIV and tuberculosis combined and this has led to an increase in health-care costs due to MRSA which is estimated to be $3 billion to $4 billion per year. Clostridium difficile, a nosocomial pathogen is the etiologic agent for pseudomembranous colitis and can be fatal if not properly treated. Extension of hospitalization due to C. difficile infection has estimated costs of as much as 3.2 billion dollars per year. The virulence of C. difficile is on the rise and with rising numbers of infections in hospitals and long-term care facilities this organism has become one of the major public health threats of the 21st century. The emergence of resistance coupled with the emergence of new, more virulent, pathogens demands the discovery of novel antibiotics.
Clostridium difficile: Nosocomial Pathogen
                Commonly known as a nosocomial pathogen that is linked to causing infectious diarrhea, colectomy or even death.        Contains toxin A and B and has two chromosomal genes, TcdB and TcdA that activate these toxins by encoding them. TcdB enforces the binding of the cell, while TcdA causes cell death by interrupting the formation of the actin filament [4].        Risks of manifesting C. difficile: antimicrobial exposure, age, and hospital stay. [2].]        